at that point, the smart thing for him to do would have been to shoot her too, but it's obv easy to feel why he was so shook.

Yeah Alton knows there's no happy ending her. Just like he told Franklin what the govt would do once he outlived his usefulness. Alton and Louie are really the only smart people on the show.

Jerome clearly wants out.

This is the second time they mentioned the reporter's daughter. she's probably in some danger down the line.